This, Was Me
by Arishandera
Summary: Isis takes it upon herself to mend the differences of each dark and light. Apparently, it was time for secrets as well as feelings to be realized, and maybe...love found? What fun it will be to relive their childhood again. Most likely YY, BR, and MM.
1. Prologue

**Another idea was plaguing me so I decided to write it before I lose my train of thought. I know some, if not most of you, have read some of those oh-so-fun fics where our favorite boys become 'chibis' or little adorable kids. Its got a bit of drama and sad stuff, but I'm not gonna drown us all in that stuff. There'll be humor to counter it so no worries.**

**Here's my take on the usual character-turns-into-a-chibi concept, but a bit more on character development, deep meanings, and all that fun stuff (yay)**

**Pairings are currently undecided…though it'd likely be the usual YY/Y YB/R and YM/M.**

**And don't worry about _Just Pretend_. The next chapter will be up in a few days, maybe the day after tomorrow.**

**-------------------**

Prologue

**-------**

It was heartbreaking, it really was. Isis thought that now that all of their problems have been resolved, loose ends tied up, and with Malik's redemption, everything would be alright. She thought that now that everyone had decided to fall into a sort of peaceful coexistence with one another, she along with her siblings (adopted and not), would finally be able to leave the past in the past and move on.

Unfortunately, it was not so.

Isis knew Malik was trying his best to get along with Yugi and the others, but there was still that impassable rift. And both parties at either end were having trouble building a bridge.

Yami Malik, with all his scathing comments she'd sometimes here whispered to her brother's ear was not helping matters. The dark entity was only succeeding in making Malik insecure. Yami Malik seemed to have made it his personal mission to make sure Malik would never get back on his feet once again. Said boy was starting to wonder whether he was even _worthy _of being accepted into the presence of Yugi or the pharaoh.

The former holder of the Millennium Tauk sighed. Well, at least that was all Yami Malik was capable of. In exchange of gaining their own body, all darks have agreed to relinquish their powers (though Yami Malik was reluctant in doing so), it was either that or disappear completely after all.

_Knock Knock Knock_

The sharp tapping at the door broke through Isis' train of thought.

A second later, Seto Kaiba walked into the room, cold aloof expression in place as usual.

"Seto," Isis stood up, "You came."

Seto merely nodded before walking forward and settling himself on one of the office's visitor's chairs.

The two stared at each other for a moment before Kaiba sighed. "Well?"

She shook himself, "Forgive me, I guess I never expected you to..." she trailed off.

Seto rolled his blue eyes, "Entertain your _bold _request?"

Isis remained silent, but a smile formed on her lips.

Seto avoided rolling his eyes again and instead scoffed, "Well, it wasn't like you gave me a choice."

She laughed heartily, "The power our little brothers have over us. Sometimes makes you wonder doesn't it?"

His lips only twitched upward but Isis knew that the other totally agreed with her.

"I have to say, it was rather low of you to have _Mokuba_ beg me to help you out."

"Hmm," Isis only nodded, a smile on her face, "Well, if you didn't really want to, I'm sure you could've found some way to avoid it."

Seto scoffed and then a smirk formed on his face, "Well…I admit that I find your plan to…form some kind of happy 'friendshippy' bond between your brother and that psychopath interesting to say the least. And I think I'm in the mood to be entertained on the expense of others so, as they say; Why not?"

Isis smiled, "Well…should we start then?"

"Wait, I was wondering…could we bring Yugi into this too?"

She thought about it for a moment. She couldn't see any disadvantages, and this would be a great opportunity to have everyone to really get to know each other.

"Of course, but I'd like to invite Bakura too…and you'd better find a larger accommodation for those six."

"No problem, the more the merrier..." he grinned. I'm going to tape every second of this damn thing, he thought, something I could watch when I need a good laugh…or blackmail.

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The atmosphere in the room was very tense. And none of its occupants seemed to know how to break the stifling silence between all of them. Finally, one decided to 'test the water' and see if the sharks aren't going to bite.

"Uhm, so…do any of you know why Isis called us here?" Yugi said timidly.

Malik, who'd been close to dozing off, looked up to see everyone's eyes on him.

"I…don't really know…" he said softy.

"Oh, alright then…" Yugi trailed off.

The uncomfortable silence reigned once more.

Malik looked down and cursed himself. Why was he acting so cautious around Yugi? They had settled their conflict right? So why the tense and stiff conversations?

"Hmm," the person beside him said, "You still hate him don't you?"

He snapped his eyes to look at the voice's owner.

Yami Bakura sat there smirking at him. Malik blinked, and thinking that the other was only trying to get a rise out of him adapted an expression of contempt and said, "What are you talking about?"

The other's smile only widened, "Come on now, tomb keeper. It's not as if it's some big secret. Hell…" he looked at the general direction of Yugi and Yami Yugi who were sitting side by side, "_I _still hate that son of a bitch, but I guess it's the pharaoh mostly…," he turned back to Malik, "So I guess we're one and the same."

"I don't hate Yug—" Malik started to say but was cut off by his dark half.

"Heh, so why aren't you there with them?" Yami Malik said teasingly, jerking his head at Yugi, Yami Yugi, and Ryou. "Why are you here with _us_?"

Malik glared at his dark side, said, "Just shut the fuck up," and turned away. He was not in the mood to get into another fight with his other half. He sneaked a glance at the other side of the room. Immediately after arriving, they unconsciously separated into two groups, now that Malik noticed. Good guys and bad guys basically, he thought bitterly. But why indeed was he here with Yami Bakura and Yami Malik, wasn't he one of the _good _guys now?

"Heh," Yami Bakura scoffed after listening to the short exchange between the other two. He turned to his fellow dark, and in a low voice said, "Well, I can fairly see what a loving relationship you two have."

"Not like you and your host are any better," was Yami Malik's reply.

"At least Ryou doesn't say 'fuck' in front of my face…not that he curses in general…but there's respect there, I can tell."

Yami Malik was about to retort when the sound of the door opening and closing gained his attention, as well as everyone else in the room.

Yami Yugi, at the other side of the table from the two other darks stood up, and in a disbelieving voice said, "_Shadi_?"

Yami Bakura snorted, "Since when did you use doors?"

Of course, the robed Egyptian was unfazed, merely looking at each person present and then saying in that mysterious voice of his, "So, you're all here. Good."

Ryou blinked and asked in a soft voice, "Erm…what are we suppose to do here, sir?"

Shadi looked at him, causing the white-haired boy to back up a bit. The other's eyes just seemed s unnerving. "Ms. Ishtar asked me for a favor, concerning you boys."

Malik blinked, "My sister?" he took a step forward, a bit cautiously, "Why? What did she ask you to do?"

The other turned his gaze towards him. And Malik couldn't help but recall the first time he met Shadi; just after his father's death, or murder rather. However, Shadi didn't answer his question. The Egyptian spirit only reached for the Millennium Key around his neck and to everyone's shock, rammed it on the forehead of the nearest person; Yugi.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU—" Yami Yugi began to shout. However, in the next second the pharaoh slumped down on the floor, unmoving.

Yami Malik poked him with his foot, and upon hearing the other groan slightly, said, "Damn. He's not dead."

Yami Bakura raised an eyebrow at this and was about to comment when he heard Ryou give a loud shout. He only had the time to turn around and see Shadi and Ryou, the latter having the Millennium Key poking out of his head before feeling something _foreign _in his mind and slipping into unconsciousness.

Ryou stared cross-eyed at the golden object, and followed soon after.

By now, Malik was getting a bit panicked and was basically _clawing _at the door(which was of course, locked) and didn't even notice Shadi behind him until he turned around for a quick glance only to be subjected to the Millennium Item's power as well.

The two blonde Egyptians joined the others on the floor not a moment later.

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When Ryou came to, he was greeted with an unfamiliar ceiling, and after sitting up, an unfamiliar room. A second later, the group's encounter with Shadi flitted through his mind. He immediately placed a palm on his forehead and breathed out a sigh of relief when he found no Millennium Key lodged in his brain.

He took a moment to observe his surroundings. It looked like an ordinary room, he had been sleeping on a bed he discovered, but aside from that, and a small cushioned seat at a corner, the room was pretty bare. Even the walls were pure white.

Figuring that he'd get nowhere just sitting there, Ryou climbed off the bed. He noted with relief that he was still wearing his own clothes and proceeded to the door.

As soon as he opened it, an array of familiar voices reached his ears.

Thankfully, the hallway was pretty straightforward. He only had to go straight ahead, towards the only open door to be reunited with Yugi, Malik and the darks.

Yami Bakura was the first to notice his arrival, "_There _you are, we've been waiting for you, host."

Ryou looked at his other questioningly, "What's going on?" he said, settling beside Yugi, who looked like he just woke up himself.

He shrugged, "I don't really know myself. Shadi came by earlier, but some of you weren't awake yet. He said he'd come back later."

"We'll just have to wait, I guess…" Yugi said, yawning cutely.

Yami Yugi was visibly seething beside him, muttering, "Oh…Shadi's going to pay for this…what does he think he's playing at?" he turned his furious eyes to Malik, who seemed lost in his own thoughts, "Tomb keeper! Why is your sister doing this?"

Malik didn't back down from the other's glare and bit his tongue to keep himself from giving a sharp retort for being addressed as 'tomb keeper'. It's not like he hated being addressed as such, but the other's voice had this superior tone when he said it that it grated Malik's nerves.

"You've been asking that every minute since we woke up here…and my answer is still; I DON'T KNOW!"

Yami Yugi stared at the other at his outburst. Malik immediately regretted his brief loss of control. The fact that Yami Malik was chuckling not far from him didn't make things any better.

He looked down, and in a voice he personally found pathetic said, "I-I'm sorry…I don't know, pharaoh."

Fortunately, further embarrassment on his part was avoided by to everyone's utter shock, Seto Kaiba's appearance.

Needless to say, Yami Yugi found another person to hate that day, "YOU!" he exclaimed, pointing at the CEO, who merely raised an eyebrow in a dignified expression.

"Yes?" Seto said with a mocking tone, "Anything you feel the need to say?"

Yam Yugi hesitated, "I—"

"Alright then," Seto said in a businesslike way, "I, unfortunately, was assigned to enlighten all of you about Isis' little…project here."

Yugi and Ryou blinked, the former said, "What project?"

Seto smirked, "Apparently," he turned to Malik, "Your sister thinks that you and your dear dark aren't getting along very well…"

Yami Bakura snickered.

"So she came up with a little something that could most probably mend your relationship, at least on an almost peaceful level."

Yami Malik grinned maliciously, "We get along just _fine_. Right, Lightside?"

"Whatever," was Malik's careless reply.

Seto turned to Ryou and Yugi, "Well…as for you two, I guess you're not as bad as _them_," he jerked his head at Malik and Yami Malik's direction. It seemed that the two were now trying to outdo each other in the art of cursing. "But Isis said, as I quote, 'There's room for improvement', so I guess you're stuck here as well."

Yugi frowned, "I think me and my other self get along well enough…"

Ryou only looked down guiltily.

Seto smiled and turned back towards the door, "It won't be long now…"he glanced at his watch, "Around twenty seconds, and you'll see what we've planned for you."

And he was gone, the door locking audibly behind him as he left the room.

"What the hell was he talking about?" Yami Bakura said bluntly.

Yugi looked at his watch nervously then looked up at his other self, "Yami…" he said with a tinge of worry.

"I'm sure it's not anything dangerous," he reassured, "Probably something like we see in those game shows at TV…"

Yami Malik raised an eyebrow. Was there anything else the pharaoh thought other than about _games_?

Malik was cautiously looking around. His sister planned all of this to make him and his dark _friendly _with each other? Talk about getting a hobby…

Everyone was slightly dreading what Seto had said would be coming, even Yami Bakura and Yami Malik seemed slightly tense. After twenty seconds though…

"…what happened?" Yami Yugi said, voice cutting through the thick silence.

"Eh…nothing, I think…" Malik said warily.

And then, to everyone's surprise, a voice, completely unfamiliar to all of them spoke up, "Are you my mommy?"

All eyes snapped towards it, only to come in contact with a small boy…probably eight to ten years old by the look of it…

A _white_-haired boy, they registered.

Ryou was nowhere to be found.

Yami Bakura, to whom the child's question was directed to was in complete shock as he stared at the smaller boy. His eyes were wide and his mouth was unhinged as he looked at the smaller one(who surprisingly looked like him) and said, "Ryou?"

The boy blinked at the other's voice and frowned, "You're not my mom. You're a boy," he said.

"Shit," Yami Malik and Malik said in unison.

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**Hope you like that. A really like to continue writing this along with _Just Pretend_**** but I'd really like your opinions on it first before I consider it as one of my currently updated fics.**


	2. I'm Ryou: Polite Isn't He?

**Not much happens in this chapter…more of a intro. to push our way towards the main storyline and stuff. **

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I'm Ryou: Polite Isn't He?

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Yami Bakura was never a people-person, and never in his life (past or not), did he adore children. Actually, any kid he met stayed away from him, even though they had no knowledge of his reputation. However, it seemed that Ryou was not one of these children. The now-small boy had seemed confused with Yami Bakura's similar appearance with his, but it did not take long for him to dub the (very uncomfortable) dark spirit, as his 'big brother'.

To say that Yami Bakura looked unnerved to find his former host _hugging _his leg was an understatement. The thief looked absolutely horrified. Yami Yugi, as well as Yami Malik, had never seen their fellow dark act in such a way; the other was always the one _frightening _people, not the other way around.

Little Ryou was completely oblivious to his effect on the older white-haired boy as well as the shocked stares he was receiving from everyone in the room. He was smiling, looking quite content while rubbing his head affectionately on his 'brother's' lower torso.

Finally, he stepped back and looked up at Yami Bakura's frozen face.

"I knew Dad was going to keep his promise!" he said enthusiastically. "He said I won't be lonely anymore and here you are!" the child then held out his hand, "I'm Ryou Bakura, and you are?"

Yami Bakura merely stared at the small child's hand extended towards him, his mouth agape and unmoving.

If the situation wasn't so weird, Yami Malik would've laughed.

Ryou frowned, his cute little face scrunching up in a mixture of confusion and irritation, "You're not being very polite…"

This time, Yami Malik _did _laugh. It started as a snicker, but soon, the blonde dark was almost on all-fours, breathless with laughter.

Ryou blinked and looked at the strange man. Who was he anyways; he couldn't remember having met him before. Come to think of it, who were all the other people here? There was a second blonde, and two multi-color-haired boys (both of which were staring at the laughing man with uncomfortable expressions).

Fortunately, it seemed that Yami Malik's bout of laughter finally snapped Yami Bakura back to his senses. He blinked for a moment, and then probably realizing that the other was laughing at _him_, narrowed his eyes in a menacing expression.

"What the hell are you laughing about?" he half-shouted.

Yami Malik didn't appear to be intimidated at all, "Oh _God_, tomb robber—haha—whoever knew, that—haha!"

Yami Bakura couldn't exactly see what was so funny. Here they were, trapped in some sort of resort house (probably Seto's), with that Shadi guy lurking around, and then…out of all things that could happen, his light just turned into a damn kid! What the hell was so funny about _that_?

Apparently, Yami Malik thought it was _very _funny, by the way he was currently acting. Malik even had an almost concerned expression on his face as he looked at his dark side.

Ryou looked up at Yami Bakura and tugged at the other's shirt. When the other looked down, he said, "Do you know him?"

Yami Malik gave another large bout of laughter before managing to calm down enough to speak, "Ahaha…know me? Why," he straightened up and draped an arm around Yami Bakura's shoulders, "We're _best buddies_!"

Yami Bakura growled and immediately shrugged the offending arm off. "You're not helping."

Meanwhile, Yami Yugi and Yugi were observing the little boy. He certainly looked like Ryou. But how in the world did he turn so young? Maybe this was Isis' project that Seto had been talking about, and what a strange little project it was.

But how was this going to help with their light-dark relationships? They didn't get it. Were they supposed to _baby-sit_ one another?

It was then that Seto made his presence known once more, though not in the room. It appeared that the house they were in had its own speaker system. All of them heard the CEO's slightly digitalized voice all around them.

"Well, I see the first of you have already succumbed to the spell…"

Though the rest only appeared confused, even curious, Yami Bakura was enraged. "WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON, KAIBA?" the clearly vexed tomb robber yelled, eyes burning.

They heard Seto chuckled lightly, "Well…this, my guests, is Isis' 'project' that she has so generously given me the privilege to look over. And you're the participants, I guess, though this isn't really a game or anything of the sort."

Yami Bakura clenched his fists, "That doesn't actually answer my question…" he seethed.

"Well…" Seto appeared to think about it, "I guess I _could_ give you a general overview of your situation," he said with a hint of smugness, "So…I guess you notice a few changes with Bakura?"

"He's a freaking six year old!"

Ryou looked at him and said, "I'm eight…"

"It…" Yami Bakura started but stopped, he couldn't yell at Ryou when he was at this…state, "…doesn't matter…"

Seto's lips formed a smug grin, though no one can see it. "Yes. That. It's quite simple actually. Isis feels that you would get all along so much more together once you have, as I quote, 'a glimpse of one another's past and childhood'. Shadi and herself took care of…what would make you roll back a few years in age, whilst I agreed to provide the facilities. We are currently in one of the many vacation houses I own…not that I use it much…"

Malik processed what Seto just said and his eyes widened in what seemed to be fear, "Y-You mean…we're _all_ going to turn into a child at one point or another?"

"Yes, that's the plan," was Seto's nonchalant reply, "I'm not entirely sure how Isis and Shadi handled it per say…not that I have any patience to listen to any of those magical crap," he said distastefully. "All I can tell you is that, when you take your turn to be…transformed, you will adapt your way of thinking and memories at that time of your life when you were a kid."

"So that's why Ryou didn't recognize Yami Bakura…" Yugi mumbled thoughtfully to himself. Beside him, Yami Yugi looked thoughtful as well. Memories?

Seto continued, "However, when you turn back to your original self, you will remember everything that happened while you were 'changed'. Since, obviously, this will be all for nothing if you can't recall your…experiences."

There was a moment of silence as everyone thought about what they were told. Ryou however, simply looked at Yami Bakura with curiosity. Why was his new brother acting so frustrated? Didn't he like him?

"How long are we supposed to stay here?" Yugi asked, looking at the ceiling since he didn't know where else to look while addressing Seto.

"A couple of days…maybe a week at most. I don't really know how long each of you are going to be stuck as little brats."

"Well…since we don't seem to have a choice," Yami Yugi said, "I think I'll just…go on with the flow. It's not like I have anything better to do…and this _does _sound…interesting, to say the least."

"It seems we think alike, pharaoh. I myself am only here to witness you make a fool of yourselves. After all, I can never pass that opportunity can I?" he laughed.

Yami Malik was getting tired of all this talk and voiced his feelings accordingly, "Whatever. So are we allowed to wander around your little vacation home through all this? Or do you expect us to sit on our fucking asses all day?"

Yami Bakura found himself acting automatically, before he even knew it, he had covered Ryou's ears with his hands, no doubt to shelter the boy from Yami Malik's vulgar words.

Ryou looked up at him questioningly.

When Yami Malik noticed this, a smirk formed on his face, "Damn, tomb robber, not even ten minutes into this shit and you're already taking on the role of the doting protective big bro!"

Yami Bakura glared but no suitable reply came into his mind. "Just…watch your mouth, will you?"

The other only rolled is eyes and said, "Whatever," then addressed Seto once more, "Well, Kaiba?"

Seto who had been smiling throughout the entire exchange, composed himself and replied, "You have free range of the facilities. Obviously, leaving the premises is not allowed, not that you _can _since I have the area on lockdown. But other than that…feel free to do whatever you want. You can try and kill each other for all I care."

They faintly heard the door unlock with a small _'click'_.

"There you go…" he said, "One more thing, before I leave you on your merry way. Don't be surprised if the house…changes, or if you see someone you don't recognize wandering around."

Yugi's eyes went wide, "Is this place haunted?"

Yami Bakura snorted.

"No," Seto replied, "Not at all. There will just be times when…a sort of replay of crucial events in your lives will occur. Think of them as something similar to holograms if you will, except that only the person currently turned into a child at that time would be able to interact with it normally."

"So…its like watching one of those 3d movies?" Yugi blinked.

"Precisely, except that it's more realistic of course. They're Isis' doing. I think she used that necklace of hers…"

Yami Yugi stopped, "The Millennium Tauk? But that's with Yugi and me, it's supposed to be at home."

"Well…now it isn't."

Not really knowing how to react on this new information, Yami Yugi turned silent.

"Hmph. This is boring," Yami Malik snorted, "I'm going," and with that said, he opened the door and stomped off.

"Well…I'll leave you all to it then," Kaiba said. "Farewell for now…" and he was gone.

The five remaining persons in the room stood in silence for a moment before it was broken by a small timid voice, "So, what's your name?" Ryou asked once more, looking up at his look-alike.

Yami Bakura snapped out of his reverie, and looked at his former host with a raised eyebrow. The boy stared determinedly back. When it was obvious that he wasn't going to stop bothering him until he answered straight on, he gave an almost uncharacteristic sigh and said, "I'm…Bakura…yes, Bakura."

Ryou's eyes widened with childish innocence, "That's my name too! Or my last name at least…"

"Yeah…well," Yami Bakura coughed.

Yami Yugi observed his fellow dark carefully, the former spirit was acting…almost…_nice_. Nicer than he ever was, at least. Yami Bakura probably didn't know how to treat Ryou, now that he was a mere eight years old. And the fact that he and Ryou didn't have the perfect relationship must be making it harder.

Ryou turned his attention to the others in the room, firstly at that blonde that looked so much like the one who just stormed off earlier. "Are you guys Bakura's friends?"

"Well…you could say that…" Malik said, shifting slightly.

The small boy didn't seem to notice the uncomfortable air Malik (as well as the others) were projecting and smiled at the Egyptian teen. "I'm Ryou, and you are?" he said, holding out his hand like in the same way he did to Yami Bakura before.

Malik took the small hand gingerly and gave it a little shake, "Eh…nice to meet you then, err, Ryou. You can call me Malik," he attempted a smile.

Yugi, having gotten over the shock of their current situation, and finding himself not minding it all that much, approached Ryou willingly with a smile already in place. "Hi Ryou, I'm Yugi," he said, "That over there's my yami—"

"What's a yami?"

"Uh…I mean, err—"

Yami Yugi stepped forward, "He means my name's Yami," he quickly covered. No need for Ryou to know about their I'm-his-light-and-he's-my-dark bit. It might just cause the young boy unneeded confusion.

"Oh, alright then," Ryou said, "Um…but who was that loud man earlier? The one who looked like him," he pointed at Malik.

"Eh…" Yami Yugi aid unsurely, "That's—"

"He's Malik's…relative, his name's…" Yami Bakura paused for a moment, "Marik."

Ryou giggled, holding his hand over his mouth in an adorable way, "Marik? That's weird. Malik and Marik. Malik Marik Malik Marik…it's like a tongue twister. And it sounds like they're twins or something too!" he clapped his hands in delight.

Yami Bakura ignored the look Malik was giving him. At the rare times he and Yami Malik talked in what could b called as casual conversatios, the other dark had mentioned that he liked that name. "I know it's like Lightside's, but it sounds manlier, you know," Yami Malik had said. After all, 'Marik' and 'Malik' were generally the same, and Yami Malik and Malik are the same person (though the other was considerably more insane). So it seemed sensible to him.

"Bakura?"

Yami Bakura blinked and looked at his former host. The boy had his arms extended upwards, "Carry me?"

He hesitated for a while. Malik, Yugi, and the pharaoh were looking at him with barely concealed interest. Damn, why was he placed in this ridiculous position? He contemplated ignoring Ryou but he thought the boy would get upset and probably end up crying if he did. And though Yami Bakura had handled many things, he didn't think he could handle a crying Ryou anytime soon.

With a shuddering sigh, he reached down and gathered his small counterpart in his arms. "You're bit too old for this, don't you think?" he muttered, trying to ignore the shocked expression on Malik's face and the smug one on the pharaoh's. Yugi only smiled fondly.

Ryou laughed, "But Dad always carries me. He says I'm still light enough to be carried around."

He couldn't argue with that, Ryou always was quite thin. And in truth, it didn't feel too tiring so far, in fact, Ryou didn't seem to be heavy at all! Yami Bakura noted himself to make sure the other ate enough after all this is over.

Malik looked at the two and almost envied them. He had expected something like this between Yami Yugi and Yugi, the two had always been close. But he didn't expect it from Ryou and _Yami Bakura_. Sure the thief was slightly cold and stiff, but Ryou didn't seem to mind this at all. What's more was that this Ryou wasn't at all afraid of Yami Bakura, it wasn't as if the mild teen was terrified stiff of his dark before, but he _was _a bit cautious around his other self. And yet this child observed no caution or fear whatsoever, and Yami Bakura…didn't seem to react badly at all. He smiled almost sadly at the scene before him. He wasn't going to expect anything like this from his dark side…

Ryou laughed and waved his arms about, "I want to go swimming!"

Yami Bakura looked skeptical, "What makes you think there's a pool around here?"

"Well…" Yami Yugi said thoughtfully, "This _is _Kaiba's rest house…thing. And considering his financial status and all, I won't be surprised if he had an indoor pool around here, if there isn't one, you could always use the bath tub I guess…"

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**I hope you didn't get bored or anything. The REAL fun stuff starts at the next chapter. (hehe)**

**I've always seen Ryou as a polite person, haven't you? **

**I hope Yami Bakura isn't _too _out of character. He's still in a bit of a shock with Ryou being turned to a kid and all so let's cut him some slack. I promise he'll be his usual smart-mouthed self later on.**

**And thanks for those who reviewed guys.**


	3. Ryou: The Strict Peacemaker

**Finally managed to update this slightly neglected fic of mine. Sorry about the abandonment by the way, to all those who've been waiting for this to be update. I sort of made _Just Pretend _as my top priority fic   
**

**We get a glimpse of Ryou's past, and a taste of just what Seto meant about 'important events replaying themselves'   
**

**A question before we start…I don't have the complete manga so I don't really know what age Ryou received the Millennium Ring. Anyone who can enlighten me about this? **

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Chapter 3:

Ryou: The Strict Peacemaker

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Bakura had to admit, this vacation house of Seto's was _nice_. Very much so. Even though the CEO said that he rarely had the time to enjoy the place, the facilities were very well-kept; every corner was dust-free and spotless. He snorted to himself, if their situation was somehow different, he would've even _enjoyed _staying here.

"Kaiba should've provided us a map…" he said sourly. Yami, Yugi, and Malik silently agreed. They've been wandering around for half an hour, trying to find a pool to quench Ryou's urge to swim and were having no luck so far.

"I think we passed by this painting before…" Yugi mumbled

They turned to look at said painting (a black and white bowl of fruit). Bakura was livid, "Damnit! You're right!

"Can't we ask for directions, Bakura?" Ryou spoke up, his head resting on the older boy's spiky hair. In the midst of their pool-hunt, Ryou had grown tired of being carried around and decided it would be more fun if he was perched on his 'big brother's' shoulders, much to Bakura's discomfort

"Who are we going to ask? There's no one here," he said irritably

Ryou frowned and gave him a bop on the head, "We ask Mr. Kaiba of course! If he can hear us earlier back at the main room, I'm sure he made sure he'd be able to do that all around the house.

Bakura had frozen when he felt the soft bop on head. His first impulse was to strike back but then he remembered this was a mere eight year old kid. And as strange as it sounds, he couldn't find it in him to hit a child, especially considering said child was Ryou

"Hey…you're right!" Yugi exclaimed. "That's a really clever idea, Ryou!" he said, making the boy beam proudly

"And how are we going to ask Kaiba, exactly?" Bakura said. "What? Are we just going to shout 'Hey, Kaiba! Where the freaking hell are we?' out of the blue?

"Yes, you could do that," came their host's disembodied voice. "Though it would've been better with a little politeness or so."

Everyone nearly jumped out of their skins.

When Bakura regained himself, he glared upwards, and said, "You were there the whole time? You could've told us, instead of making us wander in damn circles since the beginning!

Ryou wriggled to settle his awkward position a bit and raised his arm. The others looked at him curiously and from the control room, Seto raised a thin eyebrow in question. "May I speak?" Ryou asked politely.

This caught Seto off-guard for a moment and he peered at Ryou through the cameras he had wired all around the facility. 'Weird kid', he thought. Nonetheless, he said, "Go ahead.

Satisfied with the answer, Ryou dropped his arm, and said in an adorably serious and inquisitive voice that only a child could do, "Could you please tell us where we could find a pool, Mr. Kaiba? I'd like to go swimming, if it isn't too much trouble that is…"

The boy sure was a polite one, Seto thought. Too bad Bakura was incapable of learning from example, even if it was dancing in front of him holding an illustration board with written instructions.

"The door to your left," Seto finally said. "Then the third and last door down the hall."

They followed his instructions (with Bakura mumbling darkly under his breath) and soon came upon a set of transparent sliding doors. Through the glass they could already see the considerable-sized indoor pool, Ryou clapping his hands and eyes brightening when he saw there was a slide as well. Bakura grunted when his small light accidentally hit his chest when said boy began kicking his legs in excitement, "Oh, Bakura! Let's go in! Come on!"

Ryou slid himself down from Bakura's shoulders and trotted of to the side of the pool, gazing at the clear water in unconcealed anticipation. He looked back at the others and waved for them to come. "What are you waiting for?"

Bakura turned away, saying, "I don't do swimming," he settled himself at one of the leaned-back chairs. Ryou frowned at this slightly but decided to leave his brother be, so he turned to the others, a pleading look on his face.

Naturally soft at heart, Yugi gave in. With a warm smile, he approached the pale boy and squatted to Ryou's level. "Alright then. I think I could use a refreshing swim," he extended an inviting hand towards the boy, "Come on, we can find something to wear…maybe even some of those inflatable floats! I'm sure someone as rich as Kaiba must have them lying around somewhere…"

A glowing smile broke across Ryou's face as he let Yugi hold his smaller hand. He turned to Bakura, "Is it alright if I go with Yugi, brother?"

Though a bit surprised Ryou bothered asking him for permission, Bakura nodded callously before settling into a relaxed position once more. Yugi was definitely a better choice than the pharaoh after all. As for Malik…he doubted the other knew anything about kids. Though it would be amusing to see him try.

"Hey…uh, Yami," Yugi waved his dark over, "Wanna come and join us? We'd need a bit of help blowing air in the inflattables when we find them," he grinned sheepishly.

Yami immediately took the offer, not at all eager to spend some time in the presence of Bakura _and _ Malik. He knew Malik wasn't as bad as the other, but the blonde didn't seem comfortable when he's near him, so this was a safe way to avoid any undesirable situation. Don't get him wrong, blowing his lungs out wasn't a particularly bright alternative from spending time with two of his previous enemies, but it was definitely the lesser of two evils.

Bakura watched the three until they disappeared from his sight, noting with unbidden satisfaction that Ryou seemed quite happy with his present company. He was ready to doze off when he caught sight of Malik, who was still staring where Ryou and the others disappeared to with something akin to forced-concealed longing on his downcast face. He couldn't resist stirring up the other teen.

"Feeling out of place?" he said loudly with a taunting grin.

His words seemed to snap Malik out of his inner musings and the Egyptian looked at him with a carefully set stony face. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, you know what…" Bakura said. "There they go prancing around like little gay bunnies and you're stuck here, with me."

"I can leave your ass whenever I like, you know."

"You're missing my point," Bakura remarked, eyes glinting, "Come on, be honest; doesn't it strike you odd that Yugi, or the pharaoh, for that matter, didn't even _ask _you if you wanted to join them?"

Malik glared at him furiously, but Bakura knew he struck home. Malik knew this as well, though he was trying his best not to grant the thief the satisfaction of seeing or hearing him admit it.

"J-Just…_shut up_," Malik said in a voice that he found pathetic himself.

"Cut it out, tomb robber," a new voice said. "Or Lightside might _cry_."

Bakura gave his fellow dark a grin, " Marik, I was wondering where you went off to."

The other walked forward with an eyebrow raised inquisitively, "Since when did you call me ' Marik'? Did you assign me a new name or something?"

"Relax…we just thought Ryou could do without knowing we're dark spirits. I'm 'Bakura' for now, and the pharaoh's 'Yami'."

Marik merely snorted. "Whatever…" he then turned to Malik, who was glaring at the two darks heatedly, "You're still here."

Malik's glare faltered and he gave him a confused look, "Where else would I be?"

"Sucking up to the pharaoh, maybe," Bakura said in a tauntingly casual tone.

A growl rose up in Malik's throat, "Just….give me a break, will you? I'm plenty happy here…"

"With _us_?" Marik said skeptically.

Malik gave him a glare before turning around and walking away mumbling, "No way in hell. I'm spending my time at the _other side_ of the room," he maneuvered his way around the pool, careful not to stray too close at its edge. He didn't plan on ruining his clothes by slipping unceremoniously in the water after all.

He didn't notice Bakura sneaking behind him with a dangerous glint in his eyes until…

_Splash_

-------

A couple of towels were draped all over Yami as he waited for Yugi and Ryou pick out some floats. He silently prayed they wouldn't pick something twice his size because blowing air in it would surely be a pain.

"Oh! Yugi, I want this one!" Ryou exclaimed. The boy dragged a limp rubber starfish to his current babysitter.

Yugi just smiled and took it from Ryou's arms. "Alright, alright, we'll take it with us," he laughed at the little one's enthusiasm. "Hmm…I guess we have everything…" Yugi looked at the things they had collected for their swim. Yami already had the towels and their swimwear (nothing more than slightly loose shorts) and he had the inflatables Ryou had picked…yes, it seemed they already had everything.

"Alright, let's get back to the pool…then we can start swimming," he smiled.

Ryou visibly brightened and he grabbed a large ball (which he planned on playing with in the pool), embraced it with his short arms and skipped forward. "Come on!"

Yami looked at the small boy with clear amusement. 'Ryou sure is one heck of a happy kid…' he mused. He personally thought it was a pity their friend wasn't quite the same in the present time. But what else could be expected when you had someone like Bakura as the other half of your soul? It's not like Bakura intentionally made Ryou miserable, but the tomb robber's less decent activities would always have a negative effect on the milder boy, whether Bakura willed it so or not. It was kind of sad they never got to know this carefree Ryou. Sure Ryou was generally a cheerful person, probably only second to Yugi among their group, but there was no doubt that the boy had his sorrowful moments as well.

He heard Yugi laugh briefly before following the bouncing boy. "I never really thought Ryou was this energetic when he was younger," he said, "We better catch up with him before he jumps in the pool with all his clothes on."

The pool wasn't very far from where they found their swimming playthings so Ryou found it easy enough, skipping back to it on his own, the large soft ball still in his arms. Maybe he could get Bakura or Malik to play with him. Ryou wanted so much to spend some fun time with his new brother. As for Malik, he couldn't help but notice a sort of forlorn expression on the older boy's face as he left with Yugi and Yami and thought that he could invite the other to a friendly game to cheer him up.

Suddenly, Ryou stopped. He tilted his head to the side and listened for a moment. He could hear loud splashes from the pool room. 'I thought brother said he didn't like to swim…' Ryou frowned, but then turned into a smile, 'Maybe he changed his mind!'

With this in mind, Ryou continued onwards and let out a small surprised gasp once he had fully entered the room.

Malik was in the pool, still fully-clothed. The Egyptian didn't look too happy and was spouting out water as he attempted to regain himself. Bakura on the other hand, was laughing his head off. The white-haired teen was at the pool's edge, not far away from where Malik was splashing about.

Ryou noticed a third person present in the room. It was that guy who stormed off before. He recalled his brother saying his name was ' Marik'. The wild-haired boy was looking at his near-twin with a smirk.

Unnoticed by everyone, Ryou made his way towards Marik, an inquisitive look in his face. "Uhm…Mr. Marik?" he said politely. For some reason, Ryou felt that he should be on his best behavior while in the midst of the slightly intimidating boy.

Marik blinked upon hearing the familiar yet unrecognizable voice before looking down to see Ryou looking at him with a politely curious expression. Any other person might've gone ahead and pinched the small boy's face because of how 'cute' he looked, Marik on the other hand, looked at him with something similar to cautiousness, as if Ryou was about to turn into a rabid animal and start tearing his face off in any given moment.

Ryou shifted uncomfortably when he saw Marik giving him a weird look, but he pulled himself together and pressed on, "What is Malik doing in the pool?"

Marik seemed to regain himself. He snorted, "Why don't you ask your dear _brother_?"

Turning his head to look at Bakura, Ryou's brow furrowed in confusion. His 'brother' was still chuckling at Malik, who was struggling (and failing) to climb up the pool's edge, slipping and sliding clumsily all the way. The blonde was obviously furious, given that his mouth was twisted in a snarl and he seemed to be glaring at Bakura with all he's worth.

"That was some fall, Malik!" Bakura guffawed.

Said boy didn't seem to think anything was funny, "You fucking _pushed _me, asshole!"

"Yeah, I did, didn't I?"

Enraged, Malik moved to grab Bakura's leg, and in one swift motion, pulled the dark into the pool as revenge. If he couldn't get out to inflict some well-deserved pain on the tomb robber, then he'll just have to bring Bakura down with him, right? Let's see how_ he _would like water inhaled in his lungs.

Bakura remained underwater for a moment before his spiky white-haired head broke the surface, spitting out water as he did so, as well as a few curses.

Malik felt satisfied with this and proceeded to exit the pool before Bakura could regain himself and drown him or something. He grimaced as he took note of his soaking wet clothes. 'Kaiba better have some change of clothes around here…'

He was about to walk away when he heard a dangerous growl behind him. That was the only warning he had before he found himself landing hard on his rear, Bakura having pulled him backwards so forcefully he ended up on the floor.

"What? You didn't think I was just gonna let you walk away, right?" Bakura said when Malik gave him a fierce glare.

Malik made a move to get up only to have Bakura push him back down with a hard kick at his chest. Before anything else could happen though, Ryou rushed forward and positioned himself between the two fighting boys. Bakura blinked, just realizing that his light was back.

Ryou had a very disappointed frown on his face, his gaze was directed at Bakura. Said tomb robber was quite shocked when Ryou said, "Bakura, didn't Dad say that you shouldn't start fights, only _end _them?"

Poor Bakura only blinked again, staring at the little boy as if he was an alien. Even Marik couldn't help but stare at the scene. Malik remained frozen on the floor, watching the two white-haired boys as well.

"What…?" Bakura said.

Ryou opened his mouth to speak, but before he could even get out a word, Yami and Yugi arrived. Yami was busy with a half-blown starfish, the one Ryou had picked before. Yugi was walking by his side saying, "Come on, Yami. You can do it!"

All eyes were focused on the two new arrivals (except for Ryou who remained steadfast in giving Bakura a 'look'). Yami and Yugi both looked up and noticed the scene in front of them. Ryou made quite a picture,. The little boy was giving Bakura a righteous glare (the ball still wrapped in his arms), and strange enough, Bakura couldn't seem to match it with a glare of his own.

Ryou tapped the floor with his shoe, gaining everyone's attention with the small gesture. "You should apologize to Malik, and you should be sincere about it too!"

"But—"

"Dad always told me you're a real man only of you could swallow your pride and admit your mistake and apologize to the person you wronged," Ryou said knowledgably.

Bakura's mouth closed and opened, mimicking a fish. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, and he didn't know what to do. Doing what Ryou said would probably make him a sissy (at least in Malik and Marik's eyes), but if he didn't do it…what would Ryou do? He didn't want a grumpy (or crying) child eating away at his strangely active conscience as of late.

"Eh…sorry, Malik…or whatever…" he mumbled half-heartedly, looking at said Egyptian. Malik only stared dumbstruck at him, not sure whether to feel grateful or worried.

_Phooot!_

Heads snapped towards Yami, Yugi particularly blinking at his dark incredulously.

Yami looked at the now completely airless starfish in his arms and groaned. "Damn it!"

Ryou looked back up at Bakura with a satisfied grin on his face. "That wasn't so difficult, was it?"

Bakura only grunted, clearly embarrassed that the others witnessed him being coerced by a little kid into _apologizing _of all things. Damn, that's surely going to hurt his reputation.

_"Ryou,"_ an unfamiliar voice suddenly called. Everyone in the room looked around confusedly, wondering who and where the voice was coming from.

Ryou was the only one who seemed to recognize the voice, his eyes visibly lit up. "Dad?" he looked around. "Where are you?"

The others looked lost. "What the hell is your father doing here?" Bakura said.

A look of recognition descended on Yami's face. "This must be what Kaiba was talking about earlier…he warned us about some past events replaying themselves…"

Yami was proven right a moment later. One second, they were all in the pool room in Seto's rest house, however this was not so in the next second. The room faded in and out, seemingly melting one moment and forming a new shape the next. Everyone was wildly looking around, unsure as to how to react in this very unusual situation, only Ryou seemed unfazed by this strange phenomenon. And suddenly, all the twisted colors and forms stopped.

Malik, who had been on the floor before, now fond himself seated comfortably on a sofa, Yugi and Bakura at his sides. Yami and Marik were seated in their own respective chairs. All of them looked plenty confused as they looked around the very realistic illusion around them.

"Dad!" Ryou suddenly cried out, gaining everybody's attention. The small boy was running towards a middle-aged man, who they assumed to be his father. The man looked very different from his son, and they wouldn't have thought them to be related if they didn't know any better. Ryou's father was long-haired like his son, but a midnight-blue that was nowhere near Ryou's white locks. He was also less pale than the boy. One thing that they did share it seemed, was a kindly face and warm brown-colored eyes.

Ryou's father laughed as his son hugged him around the middle. He dropped down to his knees and embraced Ryou back before letting go, ruffling his son's hair fondly afterwards.

"You're back!" Ryou exclaimed, eyes shining. Bakura couldn't help but think this is probably the happiest he had ever seen Ryou be.

"That's right! And I even brought something from Egypt for you," the man started rummaging through his shoulder bag as Ryou looked on, barely containing his excitement.

Suddenly, Bakura stiffened…something about this scene was hauntingly familiar…

And then Ryou's father handed Ryou something that glinted almost maliciously. A circular piece of gold with five triangular points dangling at the circle's edge. It did not take long for everyone to recognize that sinister item.

"That's…that's the Millennium Ring!" Yami exclaimed.

Yugi shushed him, worried that Ryou's father might hear his outburst. But the man didn't seem to hear anything at all, and continued on and slipped a cord around Ryou's head, letting the ring settle in his small chest.

Bakura's eyes widened as he realized what these scene was…

'This is when I first met Ryou…'

--------------

**And there you have it. Rather long, eh? Hope you didn't get bored :P **

**I was afraid I was making this chapter a wee bit too serious. Hopefully the light touch of humor was enough to remedy that. This was part of my update-marathon thing. Whoo! Three stories in one day! **

**I'm gonna go and die now (collapses) **


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